Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell MP joined the Hon. Bridget McKenzie, Senator for Victoria, at a community forum in Shepparton last night to discuss proposed changes to firearm laws and what they mean for law-abiding owners across the region.
The Shepparton Firearms Forum was held at the GV Hotel on Thursday 18 June 2026, drawing firearm owners, farmers, sporting shooters and community members from across the electorate. The gathering reflected growing frustration with regulatory overreach occurring simultaneously at federal and state levels.
Firearm regulation in Australia is a shared responsibility between state and federal governments, a reality that is creating confusion and compounding burden on law-abiding owners. The federal government controls importation, while states and territories set the rules around ownership, licensing and storage.
“The Albanese Government has pursued a push for national reforms without genuine consultation with regional firearm users, while the Victorian Labor Government has charted its own course, accepting 15 of the 16 recommendations from its own rapid review of firearm laws, rejecting only the recommendation to cap the number of firearms an individual may own,” Mr Birrell said.
Mr Birrell said the community had turned out in strong numbers because they felt shut out of a process that directly affects them.
“Firearm owners in this region have not been given a genuine seat at the table at either level of government. They have been subjected to token consultation after decisions were already made behind closed doors, first in Canberra, then in Melbourne,” Mr Birrell said.
“What we’re seeing is a coordinated squeeze on regional communities from two directions. Farmers rely on firearms as a practical tool of their trade. Sporting shooters, hunters, pest managers and collectors deserve straight answers.”
Senator McKenzie, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, said the Coalition’s position on firearm reform remains clear: punishing actual criminal behaviour, not the responsible majority of firearm users.
“I don’t accept the premise that Victorian law-abiding firearm owners are in any way responsible for the Islamic terrorist attack that occurred in Bondi,” Senator McKenzie said.
“Jacinta Allen’s legislation, that nobody’s seen the detail of, is going to be presented to the Victorian Parliament and we’ll have more to say about that as we see it unfold.”
“To somehow blame the hundreds of thousands of law abiding firearm owners here in Victoria for an Islamic terrorist attack in Bondi, absolutely misses the point.”
The forum also heard from Cr Steve Threlfall, a life member of Field & Game Australia.
Mr Birrell said the regional context must not be overlooked as governments consider further changes.
“Farmers managing livestock and pests, sporting shooters and collectors are not the problem, they overwhelmingly follow the rules.
“We need governments, both federal and state, to reset and get back to basics: enforce the law against people who break it, not against people who follow it.”
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